2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kitaoka
A locational surname derived from a place name in Japan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kitaoka. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitaoka surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kitaoka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitaoka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitaoka
The surname KITAOKA is of Japanese origin, derived from the words 'kita' meaning north and 'oka' meaning hill or slope. It likely originated in the medieval period as a locational surname, referring to a person who lived near a northern hill or slope.
Records show that the name KITAOKA first appeared in the late Heian period (794-1185 CE) in the Kansai region of Japan, which includes present-day Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara prefectures. The earliest known bearer of this surname was Kitaoka Masahiro, a samurai warrior who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War (1180-1185 CE).
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the KITAOKA family established themselves as minor lords in the Kansai region, owning lands and maintaining a modest military force. One notable figure from this era was Kitaoka Yukitsuna (1235-1305 CE), a skilled archer and commander who participated in the Mongol invasions of Japan.
During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), the KITAOKA clan allied with the powerful Ashikaga shogunate and produced several influential courtiers and bureaucrats. Kitaoka Tadamitsu (1465-1523 CE) was a renowned calligrapher and poet who served as a advisor to the Ashikaga shoguns.
The Edo period (1603-1868 CE) saw the KITAOKA family maintain their status as minor nobility, with some members serving as retainers to the Tokugawa shogunate. Kitaoka Masanori (1718-1788 CE) was a respected scholar and historian who wrote extensively about the customs and traditions of the samurai class.
In more recent times, Kitaoka Fumio (1888-1978 CE) was a prominent economist and educator who served as the president of Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. Kitaoka Masako (1929-2021 CE) was a celebrated actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her long career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitaoka
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitaoka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitaoka bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kitaoka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.7% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 10
- Two or more races6.7% · 8
- White3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitaoka
Kitaoka appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,673 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-20 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,992 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 7,673 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 18,992 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kitaoka surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #123,796 | #142,788 | -15.3% |
| Count | 139 | 119 | -14.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitaoka bearers went from 139 to 119 (-14.4% change). The surname moved down 18,992 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kitaoka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitaoka?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kitaoka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kitaoka?
Kitaoka ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Kitaoka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kitaoka.
Has Kitaoka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitaoka went from 139 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitaoka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitaoka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kitaoka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitaoka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.7%), Hispanic (8.4%), Two or More Races (6.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kitaoka (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kitaoka mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Japan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kitaoka (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Kitaoka?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.